Civilization Beyond Earth expansion

[Hadeox]

I really do think that Civ BE is in need of a major update or expansion to add alot more content its boring not enough sponsors map types maybe even a few more alien types share what you guys think Civ BE needs in terms of content.

 

[s0nny80y]

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=542168

 

[Acken]

Starships isn't an expansion, it's a game with some interraction between the two.

Based on how video games usually go... you can assume it's a gimmicky interraction until more details are provided.

As for OP. I think CivBE needs some overhaul of some of its core mechanics and then additional ones. More exciting stuff post expansion phase like some form of religion or corporation mechanic. I find the game okay for the first 100-110 turns but after that it's a spam fest of buildings trade routes and academies.

Some brainstorm ideas:
-Corporations as civ5 religions giving you bonuses and expanding your corporate empire.
-Being able to colonize a moon. Some sort of additional map layer that become available after a tech and where you can expand there to get extra stuff
-More effect of affinities toward other players. Purity could invest into some terraforming project making some of the land unusable by harmony players while purity players get a constant agression of aliens when harmony players invest into a project. Stuff like that.

 

[Sherlock]

You mean BE was an unfinished cash grab that has been abandoned so Firaxis can push their next game already?

Yeah, pretty much.

 

[Krajzen]

Three months since release, nothing heard of beyond one half-baked balance patch, no dlc nor anything, and now we get the announcement of next spin-off game. Honestly while I was cynic about this game since uninstalling it I didn't expect Firaxis to disappoint us so much.

I also don't think 'connection between BE and starships' will be something really enhancing BE gameplay. I guess it's going to be something like ''import BE save to get bonuses in Starships'' (well, I have no idea how it could look otherwise) and also justification for devs to be able to say ''see we didn't leave development of BE, we moved it to Starships!''

Now of course appears eternal argument 'but the same thing happened to civ5 and see how polished it is' well, no. After first three months of civ5 there were numerous radical patches, constant contact with devs and few DLCs released. Compare it with BE and one sad patch which mainly turned imbalanced TRs and units into... imbalanced TRs and units but in other way.

I am waiting for civ6 announcement and praying it's engine will allow on decent AI...

 

[megabearsfan]

You mean BE was an unfinished cash grab that has been abandoned so Firaxis can push their next game already?

Yeah, pretty much.

I think calling it "unfinished cash grab" isn't fair. I think BE feels a lot more complete than Civ V vanilla did before about a year's worth of patches and free DLC (new buildings, Mongolia civ, etc):
http://www.megabearsfan.net/post/2014/12/12/Civilization-Beyond-Earth-game-review.aspx

My big problem with it is that it just doesn't feel different enough from Civ V for me to want to play it.

Starships isn't an expansion, it's a game with some interraction between the two.

Based on how video games usually go... you can assume it's a gimmicky interraction until more details are provided.

As for OP. I think CivBE needs some overhaul of some of its core mechanics and then additional ones. More exciting stuff post expansion phase like some form of religion or corporation mechanic. I find the game okay for the first 100-110 turns but after that it's a spam fest of buildings trade routes and academies.

Some brainstorm ideas:
-Corporations as civ5 religions giving you bonuses and expanding your corporate empire.
-Being able to colonize a moon. Some sort of additional map layer that become available after a tech and where you can expand there to get extra stuff
-More effect of affinities toward other players. Purity could invest into some terraforming project making some of the land unusable by harmony players while purity players get a constant agression of aliens when harmony players invest into a project. Stuff like that.

I like these ideas, especially the idea of adding additional map layers for colonizing moons. I don't feel like BE used its sci-fi setting to its full advantage. Other than the inclusion of true hovering units and the satellite layer, there isn't anything here that feels futuristic compared to Civ V. Some more brainstorming for expanding the game to feel more futuristic and different would be:

• Technologies that allow settling cities on mountains, in canyons, on ice, or in the ocean, and allowing such cities to develop in different ways. Maybe even be able to build floating cities or subterranean cities.
• Technologies to allow capturing asteroids for mining.
• Mechanics (and maybe a map layer) for sending space craft out to explore your local star system for new / additional resources (would complement the above asteroid-capture feature).
• More complicated interactions with the aliens, like being able to actually capture defeated aliens for study (earning beakers and/or culture), set up duck-blinds to study them (earning beakers), or maybe even converting them to food.
• Affinities need to be more emergent from your actual in-game actions, rather than being predominantly determined by which techs you research.

Maybe "Starships" will add some extra-planetary features / mechanics / interactions with BE that will make it feel more "space-y".

 

[Acken]

Starships looks very limited in scope so I wouldn't bet on that.

 

[Sherlock]

Three months since release, nothing heard of beyond one half-baked balance patch, no dlc nor anything, and now we get the announcement of next spin-off game. Honestly while I was cynic about this game since uninstalling it I didn't expect Firaxis to disappoint us so much.

I am waiting for civ6 announcement and praying it's engine will allow on decent AI...

Don't you mean five months from release... in March it will be half a year.

Anyone think we'll have announcements on any upgrades to BE by then or does this feel like they're through with it? Yeah, through with it and moving onto the next cash grab.

I no longer consider Firaxis an A-list development house.

 

[PhilBowles]

Starships isn't an expansion, it's a game with some interraction between the two.

Realistically it's the closest BE is going to get to an expansion. Firaxis can't afford to let the main series stagnate without new content, and anything further devoted to BE would likely delay release of Civ VI. It took fan pressure and high sales to persuade them to release expansions rather than simply small DLC for Civ V, their flagship title, and I've seen nothing to suggest that BE has been financially successful enough to warrant that sort of investment.

Anyone think we'll have announcements on any upgrades to BE by then or does this feel like they're through with it? Yeah, through with it and moving onto the next cash grab.

When did Firaxis ever promise any kind of post-development support (other than patches) for BE? I'm not sure why anyone ever expected an expansion, and from recollection Firaxis went on record saying that it would only receive that kind of support if it did well commercially - which it isn't clear it has. Civ IV: Colonization never got an expansion, and by all accounts (never played it, only the original Colonization) that too was abandoned with its share of problems like the spin-off it was.

 

[Ryika]

Don't you mean five months from release... in March it will be half a year.

Anyone think we'll have announcements on any upgrades to BE by then or does this feel like they're through with it? Yeah, through with it and moving onto the next cash grab.

I no longer consider Firaxis an A-list development house.

And why would anyone care about your opinion? All you've done lately is *****ing about this, *****ing about that in these forums, semi-offtopic or in some cases even completely off-topic just because you for some reason feel the need to constantly repeat how unsatisfied you are. Doesn't sound like your opinion is worth much to anyone who wants to hold a neutral view...


@Topic: Yes, game probably needs an expansion, but imho mainly one that overhauls the core problems and makes changes to existing mechanics (like Specialists...) ...and of course they need to write and implement a lot of lore, make the leaders more interesting, create reasons to interact with other Civs, etc. etc... etc. etc. etc. etc.

 

[glov0044]

I posted a list of what I hope is included in whatever the next addition to Civ BE is, patch or DLC. I think it has all the makings of a really good game, but they needed to take some of their half steps into features like quests and biomes and turn it into a leap with planets with unique attributes, natural wonders, and quests specific to the planet.

I haven't heard anything from devs about a new patch or DLC, but SteamDB shows activity in the last several days with BE, so I guess I'm still hopeful that they are actively developing the game.

 

[Victus75]

For me, more biomes would enhance replayability. There is something about the different hues and flora that is just refreshing for each game.

Of course, fixing/enhancing the core issues would be primary.

 

[glov0044]

I've posted this list and elaborated in other places. Just some things that I believe will make the whole BE experience better. Buildings and wonders need some re-balancing as well, but I tried to concentrate on features that I'd like BE to expound upon to make it BE beyond just fixing what exists.

• Putting the luxury resource system back, but experimenting beyond what Civ V had
• Improving diplomacy with luxuries, favors, and targeted espionage
• Coalition making and larger scale AI actions (Borrowing from EU)
• Remaking the quests to provide planetary scale events (like a World Congress mechanic)
• Adding planetary features to make each one unique (beyond biomes) and possibly affect gameplay
• MP AI ON
• Landmarking and culture impacting those signages (cosmetic)
• Post game reports (Makes AAR and by extension, advertising the game, easier)
• Changes to victory conditions (perhaps make more announcements of progress, more build/move steps)
• Changes to Ultrasonic fence

 

[Browd]

Since this has morphed into a thread about ideas for an expansion, rather than speculation about whether there will be an expansion, thread moved to BE - Ideas & Suggestions.

 

[s0nny80y]

! like floating cities er underwater cities to mitigate impacts of killer asteroid .
just as well, air sealed seeding ships prove we might sustain underwater for centuries until the surface is habitable again which drones can exploit in the mean time . and then utilizing a moon like an arc . and consolidating firepower to take out a killer rock .

 

[Sherlock]

And why would anyone care about your opinion? All you've done lately is *****ing about this, *****ing about that in these forums, semi-offtopic or in some cases even completely off-topic just because you for some reason feel the need to constantly repeat how unsatisfied you are. Doesn't sound like your opinion is worth much to anyone who wants to hold a neutral view...


@Topic: Yes, game probably needs an expansion, but imho mainly one that overhauls the core problems and makes changes to existing mechanics (like Specialists...) ...and of course they need to write and implement a lot of lore, make the leaders more interesting, create reasons to interact with other Civs, etc. etc... etc. etc. etc. etc.

So you think there are 'core problems' and the 'existing mechanics' need to be fixed. And etc, etc, etc.

Thanks for agreeing with me.

 

[Ryika]

So you think there are 'core problems' and the 'existing mechanics' need to be fixed. And etc, etc, etc.

Thanks for agreeing with me.

Yes, the game has problems, that we agree upon.
Doesn't change anything about the fact that you don't have anything important to say and instead waste your time posting non-constructive, hateful -comments.

Moderator Action: Flaming other members (this post and your earlier post) is unacceptable. If you have a problem with another post or poster, please use the report function; do not indulge your frustrations with in-thread attacks.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[Minor Annoyance]

Yes, the game has problems, that we agree upon.
Doesn't change anything about the fact that you don't have anything important to say and instead waste your time posting non-constructive, hateful -comments.

What bothers me most about the constant griping is how often they start a new thread for it. Because they can't just add on a another thread, they have to have their own clever title and their name on it for their very unique "everything sucks but me" speech.

On Topic:
I'm not sure what DLC (not full expansion) would be done. For Civ5 it was usually civilizations which was a new leader animation, background, voice, ability, unit, second unit or building/improvement, plus the artwork and possible new abilities for the units/buildings/improvements. Sponsors aren't a whole package like that so a new sponsor would be too small

Probably a big set of quests would be the most likely.

 

[Sherlock]

Yes, the game has problems, that we agree upon.
Doesn't change anything about the fact that you don't have anything important to say and instead waste your time posting non-constructive, hateful -comments.

MODS - Can we get this person to stop the personal attacks?

 

[Acken]

Come on man...